“N…No… It’s not ok! I, I don’t have anything to cook. I’ll have to go buy something! The house isn’t clean- I have NOTHING to cook!”

We’ve all been there. Inevitable last-minute get-togethers manifest in the most unlikely situations. Be it by-the- hand of your sporadic spouse, or other family and friends, these situations will spring. Trust and believe.

I try to keep my pantry stocked, bet let’s face it, sometimes a girl just wants to bank on a night of Bachelor Pad, Chef Boyardee, and boxed wine. If you haven’t caught on yet, my veg-out plans were squashed earlier this week- and I’m venting.

But, to say my night was ruined by an inopportune dinner party would be completely untrue. If anything, I learned that those moments of shear-panic and lack of inspiration can breed the most creative, and delicious, results.

What’s a girl to do when the So-in-So’s pop in and all eyes are on her to perform? Roll up your sleeves and get crafty!

And I did. After the initial shock wore off, I got down to business. Instead of focusing on everything I didn’t have on-hand, I made an assessment of what I did have.

By the time I left work that day I was almost skipping through the parking lot- eager to see if I could pull off my endeavor.

Separately, I only had enough pasta, chicken and eggplant for two- but combined and treated as a single unit- the ingredients could serve many.

Eggplant is great for many reasons. Not only is it rich in nutrients, but it also has a uniformity that makes it adaptable to many menus. My plan: slice the eggplant in thin vertical strips to match the consistency off the fettuccini and angel hair. By varying the thickness of the strips I was able to mask the mismatched pasta and tie it all together. I took the following ingredients:

After preheating my oven to 375, I followed the directions on the packages for the pasta. While the pasta was boiling, I sliced my eggplant as previously noted and set it aside. I took 1/2 of the olive oil and heated it in a skillet, then added the chicken breasts and simmered them on medium high heat until the centers were no longer pink. Halfway through simmering the chicken, I added my eggplant to the skillet, along with the spices and seasonings, and cooked them until tender. Along the way I shredded my chicken with two forks as it simmered with the eggplant and spices. Once my pasta, eggplant, and chicken were cooked I tossed them together in one large bowl. Once all the ingredients were combined I coated a glass baking dish with the remaining olive oil and added my mixture to the dish. Next, I topped it off, evenly, with the jar of Alfredo sauce and sprinkled on the Feta. I popped it in the oven for 45 minutes (until the top was bubbling and slightly browned).

After 20 minutes of baking, the smell of the pasta was so enticing; no one noticed the less-than-fresh scent of my carpet. (Talk about killing two birds with one stone!)

Served with a loaf of olive-oil coated crusty bread and a hearty conversation, this meal had the So-and-So’s giving satisfying sighs all evening. I had taken an uninspired situation and made it look like the whole thing happened on purpose. Victory!